Wright State president, former general to lead effort protecting local bases

A retired four-star Air Force general and Wright State University’s president will serve as co-chairmen of a Dayton Development Coalition panel with a goal to protect two military installations in the region if another round of base closures happens.

Retired Gen. Lester Lyles, a former commander of the Air Force Materiel Command, and WSU President David R. Hopkins will lead the Wright-Patterson 2020 committee, coalition leader Jeff Hoagland announced Wednesday at a forum of about 120 people at Wright State.

The committee has five primary goals, which includes a federal retention program to protect jobs and missions at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and Springfield Air National Guard Base and boost aerospace.